Drawbar and coupling connection



.Wfiar. 13, 1923. 1,448,487

0. HEBERT DRAWBAR AND COUPLING CONNECTION Original Filed Sept.. 1', 1916 WITNESSES v /v VE/V TOR flnesdmeifebzr ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 13, 1923.

ETATEES laid- 6,7

iFfiaJTENT onnsr un HEBERT, OF OKLAHOMA, OKLAHOMA, assrenoa '10 UNIVERSAL can Ann HOSE COUPLER COMPANY, or PHOENIX, ARIZONA, A oonronarrron. I

DRAWBAR AND COUPLING CONNECTION.

Original application filed September 1, 1916,v Serial Ila-118,103. Divided and this application filed December 3, 1917. Serial No. 205,102.

To all whom it mayconcern:

Be it known that I, ONESIME HEBERT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Oklahoma city, in the county of Okla 5 homa and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drawbar and Coupling Connections, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in railway draft appliances, being more-particularly an improvement in drawbar and coupler connections divided from my application for patent on'car and-train pipe couplers, filed September 1, 1916, Serial Number 118,103, and it consists in the constructions, combinations and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a drawbar and coupler connection for railway cars, which isat once flexibleand arranged to adapt itself to all degrees of curvature in the track and differences of level between the cars. p

Another object of the invention is to provide a drawbar and coupler connection including coacting means for gravitating the coupler head into normal alignment with'the drawbar. I

Another object of the invention is to provide a drawbar made in sections with a flexible connection therebetween, portions of the sections being so arranged to formv a housing for the flexible connection.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

- Fi ure 1 is a perspective view showing the draw ar and coupler connections turned with respect toeach other.

, Figure 2 is a verticallongitudinal section of the parts illustrated in Figure 1, portions being shown in side elevation.

Figure 3 is ahorizontal section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, and

Figure at is a cross section on the line 14E of Figure 2.

In carryingout my invention, I provide a coupler head 1 provided with the chamber illustrated in the drawing, in which the looking mechanisms of the coupler head described in my original application, are located. The chamber in the coupler head 1 has an opening 14 extending toward the rear.

A coupler pin 15 is carried by the coupler head 1 and extends through the opening or passage 14.

The end member 16 or vertically flexible drawbar, has a horizontal pivotal mountmg on the coupler pin 15. The head 16*- of the end member 16 is vertically offset with respect to the main body portion of the member 16. The shoulder 16 which marks the offset between the end member 16 and the head 16 is located at a place to the rear clined surfaces 18 formed in the top wall of the opening or passage 14:. The outer member 19 of the drawbar is bifurcated at 20 to receive the end of a pivot pin 21 which passes through the end member 16. The end member 16 has a rearward; 1y extending plate 22 atthe bottom. The outer member 19 has a forwardly extending plate 23 at the top. These plates are so formed and arranged that they provide a chamber or housing for a spring 2% bearing against the inner surfaccsof the plates. The spring 24; is strong enough to keep the two members of the drawbar in. true horizontal alignment, and is also sufficiently strong to balance the weight of the coupler head 1 and the parts carried thereby. In the event of the vertical disalignment between the drawbar and the coupler head 1 or material differences in the relative heights between cars, the end member 16 of the drawbar will, of course, rotate accordingly on the pivotpin 21 and automaticallyadjust itself to said diiferences in height, and; in so doing, compress the spring; In the event of the restorationto the normallevel of the cars or the uncoupling of the cars, the tension in the spring 24 will cause'the restorationof the coupler head to thenormal position in true alignment with the'drawbar.

The operation of the device when taken in is that of a connection with the foregoing description, will be readily understood. The-drawbar and coupler head have relative horizontalswmging motion with respect to ea-ch other," by reason of the connection of-the head 16 to the coupler pin 15. This connection is loose. The wedge bridge 17 and the-inclined surfaces 18 have an inverted V shape. The

Weight of the" coupler head 1*rest's on the wedge bridge 17. It therefore-"follows" that; when any. external influence causing the wedge. bridgel? to slide down one or the other 'of the-inclined surfaces '18 as shown in Figurehisremoved, the weight o'f'the' coupler headl will again cause the apices of the wedgeb-ridge and inclined surfaces to slideinto coincidence and thus r h coupler head" on the drawbar; I

pressing influence is removed. The arrangement ofthe dr'awbar a'nd coupler connection The. coupler is a flexibleone lthroil'ghout. head 1 when turnedltoeither side, will agairr ravitateinto, alignment with the drawbar.

. en the coupler headflis depressed o-ut of alignment with the drawba-r in a vertical di rection itw'ill again return" to the normal positionthroughthe action of the spring 24; The members of the. drawbar have movement with respectto each other, and

the coupler head' is capableio f vertical and lateral movement with respect to the drawbar. The arrangement of the forward and rearwardly e'xtendihgiplate's" 2 3 and 22 of the respective" outer and end members of the drawbar, is simple and e'fl'ectiive. The cone nection between the parts} istightenoughto exclude the major portion of the foreign elements that fall upon the drawbar. The chamber provided for the spring 24 is thus enclosed on all, sides.

While the construction and arrangement ofthe device as illustrated in the drawing, generally preferred form, obvious'ly, medications and changes may he made without departing" from the spirit of the inventien' or the scope o'fth e claims.

' I claim:

The combinatien er a draw hat, a coupli g'liad-ihavrge rearward opening; said draw ban hav i g front end," ofis'et above are general top surface of the bar, extend 1-ii 't'o= sflaidjopening; said offset end being or less as 1 andfll'ateral'. dimensions-than the corresponding dimensionsof "the open-- ing, a vertical pivot uniting said offset end and coupling head so as to allow" only a relative vertical sliding movement and-a lateral swinging-movementof said-head,',

and cooperating cam surfaces on said head and offset end adapted to bring the long1-' tudinalaxis ofthe head in line with the draw barin response to the action of gravit'y onsaid' head. I

2. The combination of a draw bar having its front end olfset above the general surface of said bar, a coupling hea'df'having a rearward opening of greater verticalfand lateral, dimensions than'the correspondin dimensions of said offset end, sai'd ofl'set en entering saidv opening, avertical' pivot unit 'ingsaidg offset end and coupling" head" so.

as to allow {only a relative vertical. sliding movement and a lateral swinging move ment of said head; and cooperat ng. cam; surlongitudinah axis in line with the draw bar in response to the action ofgravity'on v said heal 3. The combination of. at. coupling. h'ea'd having a rearward opening; a draw ibar consistingjof a section and"'ashort end section" pivoted together von a horizontal pivot andfhaving cooperating iabutt ing sur faces preventing said. end sections from" befacesQ Q-n said head] and: 'oifset end disposed] wholly in rear. of the pivot, said cam' sur-T face tending' to. center the head with-its iii}; elevated materiallyou't; of alin'e'ment' with thelmain sectiom a spri-ng tendingifto hold said sections" in fali'nement with sald abutting surfaces in contact, vertical p vot,

for, uniting said end section ,to' said head within the rearward opening, the-construetion and proportionsof'said partsbeing I such thatthe head may only" slide vertically end section; 1 v I 4Q The combination of a coupling" head having a;rearward opening, adraw bar eem sisting of a 3 main" section and a short end sectionpivo'ted' together ona horizontal pivot, and having. cooperating abutting surfaces preventingsaid end section front being elevated "materially out of alin'einent with said main seam n, spring 'tendingito hold said sections in"alinementfwith said I ab'uttlng'surfaces' 1n1jcontact; the end; section having anupwardofi'set extremity Tex: tendlng Within said; open nga vertrca'l p vot uniting said offset end portion to ISfiil d FlIGBId,

and cooperating cam su rfaces-on said ofi set end and head tendingto keepsaidg head i and draw bar in alinement, the construe tion and proportions of J said: parts: being such that:the headrmayionly slide vertically and swing" laterally',- with .-".respec.t, to said end section. 1

5. The combinationfof; a couplerxhead having an vopenin' therein. extending: to:- ward thez r'ear,; a. rawxbar." extendingainto v the opening in said head, the end of the draw bar Within the opening being of less dimensions, measured vertically and laterally, than the opening in the coupler head,

- a vertical pin uniting the end of the draw movement between said coupler head and draw bar, and cooperating plane cam sur- 10 faces on said head and draw bar tending to center said head with its longitudinal axis in line with the draw bar in response to the action of gravity on said head.

ONE'SIME HEBERT. 

